With very little fanfare but a great deal of pleasure and goodwill, Hereford Library re-opened last week after what seemed like a long spell in temporary accommodation in the Town Hall.

My first impression on entering the building was how light and spacious it seemed.

This, of course, is due to a good dose of re painting and a very different way of shelving the books.

The staff all seemed very happy with the re-vamp and borrowers seemed to be finding their way around quite easily. There was a member of the Hereford Library Users group, who have been so active during this time, on hand to answer any questions and though there are still improvements to be made, the new arrangements are certainly an improvement.

Books are still a wonderful resource, not only for information, but for stimulating the imagination and creativity.

Despite the increasing use of "computer" reading, books should be freely available to every child.

As a musician, my only slight criticism though was a lack of a music section with actual scores available.

When I first came to Hereford in the '70s, there was a splendid music section which had copies of piano music, songs, musicals and choral music to borrow.

I wonder what became of all those copies which were a vital resource for musicians.

We all know that money is in very short supply for local authorities, but we should all applaud the fact that money has been found for the library, surely an important part of the life of any city with aspirations to be thought of as cultured.